The world in brief, March 30th 2

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans could die of covid-19. Shortly after, President Donald Trump abandoned his goal of reopening the economy by Easter, April 12th, asking Americans to continue practising social distancing until at least April 30th. Mr Fauci praised the decision as “wise and prudent”.

The daily death toll from covid-19 in Italy fell for the second successive day, to 756 on Sunday. It has been overtaken by Spain’s, where the daily death rate reached a record high of 838. Spain announced the closure of all non-essential workplaces for two weeks. Meanwhile, Italy’s regional affairs minister said his government would “inevitably” extend the country’s lockdown beyond April 3rd.

The price of US crude oil dipped below 23 a barrel.

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, asked for “forgiveness” for the hardships imposed on the poor by a 21-day national lockdown. It had the unintended effect of sending an enormous number of labourers trudging【艰难跋涉】 home cross-country in search of food and shelter, and possibly bearing contagion【接触传染】 too. Nearly as many are known to have died in the mass migration as of covid-19.

EasyJet grounded all 331 of its planes. The low-cost carrier, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, had already reduced its service due to coronavirus-linked travel restrictions and was only operating rescue flights for stranded travellers. Many members of staff will be placed on furlough【强迫…休假】 and should receive 80% of salaries through a government scheme.

Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, has called for the creation of an emergency government of national unity to deal with the spread of covid-19 in the country, which is suffering from hyperinflation and collapsing public services. Meanwhile in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro reportedly threatened to sack【解雇】 his health minister if he criticised Mr Bolsonaro's policies to combat the pandemic.

Kim Kielsen, the prime minister of Greenland, announced a prohibition on the sale of alcohol in Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous Danish territory. The move was motivated by an attempt to reduce violence against children in their homes now that schools are closed because of covid-19. Nearly a third of people living in Greenland suffered sexual abuse as a child.